A/N: Dude, it feels like forever since I worked on this story! But that's not totally my fault! I accidentally skipped this on my rotation for my stories, so I worked on a different story when it was actually this chapter's turn to get written. Yes, I am aware that half of you did not understand a word of that.
Disclaimer: I wrote up this really long, intricate disclaimer that would explain to you exactly how I do not own Yuyu Hakusho, but then I read the author's note again and realized I was just wasting my time, because you probably would not understand the disclaimer if you could not understand that. Then I got really depressed because my entire work was ruined. Now, I'm depressed because half of you skipped the stupid disclaimer, and the only reason that the rest of you are reading the disclaimer is because it is longer than some of my paragraphs (yes, I'll make up for it later). Now that I am out of my spiraling depression, I am ready for another go down that twisty whirlpool of disappointment. So, let's sound it out together: I-d-o-n-o-t-o-w-n-y-u-y-u-h-a-k-u-s-h-o.
Important Note: Some people have irises with practically no line while others have irises with a lot of line. Yurika's have a lot of lines, which gives her the been-through-a-lot look. Jun has the clear, childish eyes.
The man's lip quivered. Yurika pressed the katanas closer to his throat. Her voice was icy, but Kurama detected more emotion behind it than he had heard from her in seventy years. "I'll say this one more time, what did you do to Kato? That young treeling?"
The old man on the floor made a strangled sound, but Kurama pierced him with a glare. He came closer to him. "It would be prudent, for you to stay silent."
Yurika's arm stopped quivering so, and she leaned more heavily against the swords.
The demon swallowed, and the bulge where his Adam's apple was, was cut. "I… that was not me… it was my mother… you killed her, I saw you. I didn't know anything back then, I was just an apprentice. I… only watched…"
"I did not ask for who was involved." Yurika was deadly clam, but Kurama could see from his vantage point that her right arm was quivering violently. "The spell, demon. I want the spell."
"It's the…." The man gasped. "Aldebrand's Youth Enchantment!" No sooner than when he had said this, was he dropped to the floor.
Yurika easily bent down, keeping her back semi-straight and bending her knees. Her tone was agreeable, as the man whimpered on the floor. "You see, that was not so hard. But," her tone dropped to dangerously low levels, "if you are lying, not even Lord Yamma himself will help you." She picked him up roughly by his hair, and faced him to Kurama. "I made a deal to get him to bring me to you, and the gods know, I can make another one. Understand?"
The man nodded his head wildly. Yurika threw him loftily in the direction of the kitchen. He flew threw the wall with an almost wet crunch. Yurika sheathed her swords, and, without casting another red eye around the room, marched out the door, straight-backed. Kurama glared at the two, disgusted at what they could do to a boy as sweet as Kato, and followed Yurika.
They ran to the edge of the village. The sun was setting and it was getting cold, as this part of the Maki retained no heat from the sun. Yurika seemed ready to say something, to do something. If had been human, Kurama would have expected her to cry, as they seemed so inclined to do. Had she been a normal demon, he would have expected some sort of acknowledgement. But she was not, and he did not.
They were running again in seconds. As it had been seen but never proven, the journey back took much less time than the journey there. Two hours later, Yurika was sneezing and cursing at the dust that seemed to float in the air.
"Wait." Yurika turned around from the mirror, where they had been waiting for the portal to open.
She went to the small table on the ground and picked up some old scissors. For some odd reason, Kurama suddenly remembered an American movie that his mother had bought for him when he was younger, 'Hercules'. The scissors reminded him strongly of the shears the old hags used when they cut the lifeline of a person. Of course, Kurama, being close to six hundred and two at the time, knew that this was completely ridiculous, and had tried to explain this to his mother, who only smiled and patted his head saying, 'that's right baby, those are mean old biddies.' It was only a few years later that he learned that the gobbled language that babies spoke did not reach ears as anything more than 'goo-goo-ga-ga'.
Yurika moved in front of Kurama, and reached a hand out to prepare the mirror. She stood still for a few moments, as if considering something. Sighing irritably, she turned back around and looked at Kurama tiredly. "I'm not going to say this on the other side, but I want to say it. Thanks, Kurama. You've made this immeasurably easier. And…" Yurika sighed and seemed to be struggling for words.
Kurama smiled slightly. "Some things don't need to be said." He frowned. Yurika's arm was trembling again. "Yurika, may I ask you something?"
Yurika gave a ghost of a smile. "You may ask me anything, but there is no guarantee that I will answer."
"You're much wiser then when I knew you." Kurama said lightly.
"When you knew me, I was a child." Yurika said, shrugging. "I wasn't much better than Jun." Kurama's eyes widened as hers turned back into the clear, childish eyes (A/N: See Important Note) that he had seen so many times an existence ago. "But that's not what you want to say, is it?"
Kurama snapped back into reality as Yurika's eyes went back to normal. "No…I was wondering… why is it that your arm trembles so… and why your so different… and why…" Kurama was exciting himself and Youko's yelling inside his head wasn't helping.
Yurika placed a hand on his shoulder, as if afraid he would begin jumping around in his excitement. "Kurama… calm down… you're talking too fast. We've got to go, it's almost ten in the human world." Befjore he could say another word, she had maneuvered around him, turned the dial on the mirror, and flipped through.
Yurika landed on the other side, cat-like, and moved to Kato's bed, pretending to wipe sweat from his brow. Her heart was beating wildly, and her arm hurt terribly. Damn it, what am I going to tell him?
"He asked, didn't he?" Reseph asked from the fireplace. "You know… you could just tell him…"
"No, I won't be able to handle it," Yurika said. "The mark's grown a centimeter since we've come here, what do you think will happen if I face him?"
The mirror rippled before Reseph could reply. Kurama stepped through, his face overcast. When he saw Yurika bending over the small boy, his face moved from disturbed to extremely worried. He moved over quickly.
"Is he going to be okay?" Kurama asked quietly, looking as if he wanted to touch the Kato's brow and check him for fever, but knew he should not.
Yurika sighed. "It appears, in order to borrow Genkai's books, the humans will have to be involved to some degree. I hope so…" Yurika's arm prickled. "I… mean… I would not want to loose my apprentice."
Kurama stared at her until Yurika nearly fidgeted uncomfortably. Finally, he said, "I know what you mean. And I'm sure that he'll be just fine."
As he said this, he placed a comforting hand on Yurika's shoulder. Yurika wanted desperately to shake it off, because her arm went far beyond the prickle and into an all-out ache. She felt she owed it to him at the very least to not be so frosty. It seemed that she had not been warm enough, though, because a minute later, Kurama sighed and left. The door shut behind him.
Yurika went over and sat on the lip of the shelf for the fireplace. She put her head in her hands and let out a strangled noise, wretched and animal-like.
"You won't be, you know." Reseph said, referring to what Kurama said.
"I know," Yuika said, panting from the pain her arm was causing her.
"What are you going to do?" He questioned.
"Nothing." Yurika spat. "Until Kato is squared away."
Reseph sighed. "Time runs short as it is, running shorter now that that fox is affecting you…"
"He is not affecting me!" Yurika hissed. "I know what has to be done, Reseph. By Yamma, I'll do it." Yurika did not hold a bright spark of determination like usual, instead they were misted over. "I know what has to be done." She repeated.
A/N: I feel like this chapter is complete crap, but I can't take leaving it here anymore.